Ladies Get Paid: The Ultimate Guide to Breaking Barriers, Owning Your Worth, and Taking Command of Your Career

by Claire Wasserman

From career coach and founder of the startup Ladies Get Paid—the eponymous organization leading the fight for equality in the workplace—comes an empowering guide to provide you with the tools to strategically navigate the workplace, achieve success, and become a true leader.

Claire Wasserman has one goal for women: Rise up and get paid.

As the founder of Ladies Get Paid, Claire has worked her entire adult life to promote gender equality in the workplace. If you’re looking to navigate a promotion or break the glass ceiling, Ladies Get Paid is your essential toolkit for achieving success.

Filled with straightforward advice and inspiring stories, Ladies Get Paid encourages self-advocacy and activism as a way to advance your career and make more money. Covering topics as crucial and varied as how to find the perfect mentor, how to negotiate a raise, and how to become a leader, Ladies Get Paid is a reminder that you are valuable—both as an individual woman and as part of the female community. And ultimately, it’s about more than your wallet—it’s about your worth.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Business, Feminism, Money, Finance, Personal Finance

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 12, 2021

Reviews

[Genevieve Trono]

Women in the workforce has been an ongoing conversation in my friend group lately. Not only has the coronavirus taken hundreds of thousands of American lives, but this pandemic has also highlighted many systemic inequalities that have been bubbling under the surface for way too long. In September alone, more than 850,000 women left the workforce, 4 times as many as men. (Pallavi Gogoi, NPR)

Why do you ask? Working has become almost impossible for many parents during the last 7 months and women are facing the brunt of it...and a large part of this is the gender pay gap. In many households, men make more money even if they hold the same job titles.

"So when couples have to take an economic decision because women typically earn less, they are the ones who take the step back" (Pallavi Gogoi, NPR), and never has this been more clear than during this 2020 pandemic.

Ladies Get Paid could not have come at a better time, as Claire Wasserman takes on how to promote gender equality in the workplace. As the founder of a women's career development organization, Wasserman's writing is clear and approachable and filled with valuable tools on how to broach empowering conversations, negotiating pay, and more. Wasserman's goal is to promote the idea that talking about money and what we are worth is not only important but necessary...and something that many of us still find taboo, and it begins with speaking up.

I found this book to be incredibly informative and inspiring and I love the idea that every small step really is significant for all of us. Thank you to Gallery Books for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

For someone who's just starting in their journey, this really does feel like an ultimate guide. It covers a lot and has a lot of stories/case studies, so you can contextualize the suggestions and feedback. I didn't learn a ton that was new, but I've also been looking at stuff like this for a few years, so I'm not sure that it's necessarily a negative.

I appreciate that the author was thoughtful in sharing stores of Black and other minority women. A nitpick: I would've liked to see a bit more conversation about what happens when you try but are punished or some framing of the recommended techniques and case studies with privilege in mind (e.g. one case study had a women who was able to file a lawsuit for pay discrimination against her company, which is great, but how can normal people find this actionable beyond the sentiment of "nurture your belief about your power"?). I also get that in a book with all these stories, it's not really easy to deep-dive into every scenario.

[Maddie Rospierski · Rating 5 out of 5]

God. What an amazing book. I am so astonished. So impressed. So empowered. Building women up in the workplace, making us feel confident, valued and strong is what this book has done. Every women should read this. Learn how to network, negotiate for pay and to advocate for yourself! Powerful book, powerful message. And what’s more: it is written so nicely! Very digestible and interactive!
LOVE LOVE LOVE

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book sadly needs to exist, but I was expecting a little more out of it. It's filled with optimism and self-help tips, but sometimes it was hard for me to figure out how to put these things into practice. Especially if you are in a niche-field. Sometimes it came off a bit too simplistic, and I wish there was more about what to do if you keep encountering roadblocks.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected Ladies Get Paid to be focused on the financial side of our careers. I went into this book expecting to read about negotiating salary, bonuses, benefits, and total compensation packages but it is so much more than that. It’s full of case studies of women who have faced struggles in the workplace and how they adjusted course to find the path that was best suited for them. They won’t all apply to your specific situation but some of them hit very close to home for me.

One of the areas I’ve personally struggled with has always been in feeling like I need to keep my head down, focus on my work, and let my results speak for themselves and Ladies Get Paid addressed that exact feeling multiple times. It pushed me to move outside of my comfort zone and speak to women in my life about it. I found that they felt the exact way and now we’re working to push each other to speak up and be more visible in our careers. It might be a tiny thing such as turning on our cameras during remote meetings but that visibility does help!

While I won’t say that I felt like there was anything shared in Ladies Get Paid that was stunningly new information it did reinforce very important and powerful messages. It also helped me reach a place where I felt empowered to reclaim my worth and expectations around my career and my goals. I was struggling with imposter syndrome worse than ever before and this book helped push me out of that and into a new level of self-belief and confidence.

Each chapter focuses on a different struggle facing women in the workplace and provides questions that make us do a deep dive into ourselves to identify our areas of strength and what is holding us back. I read this as an eBook and found I needed to dig out a new journal to use as a companion so I could answer the questions and make notes. By the end, I found that I had drafted goals for 2021 and made a plan to actively pursue the promotion I’ve been hoping to earn.

I feel empowered, which is exactly what I was hoping to feel after reading Ladies Get Paid. I’ve already recommended it to many of my colleagues and women in my professional groups. It’s a great book to have on your bookshelves. I am absolutely certain you’ll find yourself reaching for it again, and again, and again when you need a big dose of female empowerment to get yourself back on track.

[Sarah Butland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book shouldn't need to exist. It's 2021 and this book should be irrelevant but because it is still needed it may be the most important book you read this year, man or woman. If you are working for/ in a company this book provides insight on the struggle it is for some to be proud of working for the same company you may be thriving in.

Wasserman did her research and lived through the struggles of being a female in the workforce. Fighting for equal compensation while working to balance respect and relationships with co-workers, family and friends and figure out a balance that puts her first while still getting paid.

Included in this well flowing book are useful tips and forms, letters and anecdotes to inspire you to be the change your employer and the world need to have.

Please read this book, feel it and put it into action no matter where you are in your stage of life and the world.

Sarah

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not everything in this book is going to be perfect for every woman and every situation, but I want to start gifting it to every woman on their 16th birthday, along with 'Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men' by Caroline Criado-Perez (which I think should actually be required reading for everyone). I'm in my 30s, and I feel like I'm just starting to dig myself out of the hole of a certain mindset that has historically been inadvertently imposed upon girls in our society. I appreciate that this book helped me think about certain experiences from other angles, and it has contributed to building up my confidence as I undertake a lengthy interview process while working to break into a new career.

[Kellie Schull · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard about this book from a conference session at work; I checked it out from the library a day later. I thought overall it was a great read! Very easy to follow, good layout to build upon the prior chapters. And good recaps along the way. The stories were relatable (sadly, as a woman) but inspiring as the women were able to pick some battles and push forward with success. It also gave some good tips to identify areas of improvement and build a plan for promotions, visibility, and collaboration.

[Nikki Soulsby · Rating 5 out of 5]

READ. THIS. BOOK!

Easily the best book I've read this year, and by far the most enlightening and comprehensive book I've read on women in the workplace. Claire Wasserman takes you through the whole process of becoming a force to be reckoned with, starting with understanding your value and values. She guides you from acknowledging your own worth to implementing it and growing into impact.

Well written, well researched, and well received. Thanks Claire. This is one I'll be recommending to everyone I know.

[Lily Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought this might be a corny book, but actually helped me so much. I read this book twice in my life. Once in my early twenties when i was learning about myself and what i wanted to do.. and now. Highly recommend.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe not the best for those later in their career, but early to mid career professionals will appreciate the direct, actionable suggestions for achieving career goals and raising the bar for women everywhere.

[Kara of BookishBytes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to educate and motivate women to advocate for themselves.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing really groundbreakingly new in this book but I loved the case studies and real-life examples. Some of the stories were absolutely horrific and others rang too true for comfort. Generally, I liked the writing and I liked the message that the book was trying to convey.

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely the best professional book I’ve read this year, with some actual useful examples, prompts, and advice. It still borders on unrealistic sometimes but definitely less than others

[Ginnie Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review coming soon...

[Lana Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Ladies get paid and I would actually like to buy the physical copy after borrowing this from the library so I can refer back to it. I liked how each chapter focused on one women's journey and gave real world examples. I feel like I learned some interesting tidbits to apply to my own career.

[rachnreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is truly a great book for anyone at any point in their career. For me personally, I’m currently in between jobs, and I found this book (especially the first 2/3) incredibly helpful in developing and executing on a networking plan, as well as getting over imposter syndrome and helping with interview prep. I loved how this book included templates and tangible actions you could take, as well as the case studies. I find a lot of the time in self help books and career focused books, there are vague suggestions on what to do rather than clear actionable items.

There was lots of highlighting and sticking notes throughout pages of this book. Would highly recommend this one, and I will be revisiting it often!

[Kathleen Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was the perfect inspiration to kick-off 2021. Claire has a super straightforward tone and offers real-life examples and tangible advice for overcoming common obstacles in the workplace. I especially loved the appendix in the back that talks about policy and what actions can be taken.

[Glenn Stenquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very solid career and analysis book with many insights and stratagies for improving life/career. Worthwhile.

[Orlagh Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really made me take a look at my own career—even though I’m only starting out—and realize that I won’t stand for a job I don’t like, a toxic manager or being undervalued. It was great to hear insights from real-life people and to learn from their stories. An excellent book to empower us as we progress in our careers.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Great resource and will probably pick up again down the line. Definitely recommend!

[Mityl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Right from the opening quote this tells us things we know but are afraid to say out loud because so many people have dismissed us and tried to force us into the "submissive, powerless, pleasing to others, your opinions and/or experiences do not matter: fit the mold" role. I loved how the author says in no uncertain terms in the introduction that women are often targeted for harassment by potential business partners, which shuts off avenues that could be very useful for our professional development. I like the part where she mentions women are taught to shrink themselves. I would have loved if it had been elaborated a bit. If you are better than a male colleague, there are increased chances of harassment so that the woman's time/energy are bifurcated. The number of people who go, "but men have to support families, why does a woman have to work and take money that a man could earn?", or "men need to earn more because they are traditionally breadwinners", or "men are brought up to believe they are better, was she expecting something other than hate(ful actions) riling up the male ego like that?" even in this day and age is amazing. Of course, the author does admit that there are gaps in her work, and I like the acknowledgement, but some places her tone is contradictory to her message. The first half of the book talks about generic advice about the job market that could apply to anyone not just the ladies. There's only one chapter on getting paid better, and it's generic. The "amplify each other" idea is the only one I found more applicable to women, but not necessarily to get paid better. This feels like a narrative on "good career practices" with a peppering of "women face these difficulties", none of which is new material. Totally skips how some women(especially in the same workplace) try pulling other women down. The book is further blind to all the cases where the advice given has a negative outcome. A lot of advice probably works only for women with a lot of privilege.

[Giselle Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a black woman in the state of Utah, I can tell you that my career history has had its ups and downs. When people think of the obstacles that women face in the workforce, they often don’t think about the differences in how different races are treated and the stigmas we face for simply trying to improve our social standing or advance in our careers. We wear more than just our work ethic.

After reading Ladies Get Paid, I started using social media (more than in the past) and even started writing articles to improve my writing skills. Soon, I want to learn more about copywriting and marketing to help connect with people within my field on a more in-depth and meaningful level. I am not my job title because I bring my own skill sets to the table. A job is what you do, not everything that you are. Too often women feel they are defined only by their titles and when they lose these titles, it can feel as though their whole world is crumbling.

I am ready to be more proactive in creating my own brand and not just rely on one avenue to display my talents. I have done this before and I will tell you, things can change in an instant. You’re not always going to get the credit you deserve when working for certain companies. This is where the lessons and tactics in this book come into play. Build your career plan!

If you’re ready to take action when it comes to cultivating your own career growth and development, read this book!

[Ayana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is going to be a very unpopular opinion of this book but i don’t care. The author wrote some valid points about elevating your career as an employee. However I do not feel very connected with what the message the author is trying to tell. She writes about everyone’s personal experiences but her own. What personal experiences does she have to command her career? To be honest it seems like she do not have enough personal experience to write this book. But at lease she gave credit for using other people stories.
The people she wrote about should be writing a book about how they elevated. I’m Just Saying!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really amazing resource for any woman navigating their career and the challenges that come with working in a male-dominated world. I could relate with almost all of the stories and feel more confident knowing steps I can take to build a network, get a raise, and stand up for myself in the workplace!

[Anne Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does a book cover with hot pink letters and the word “Ladies” in the title give you a certain impression of what you’ll find inside? If you’re anything like me, you may write a book off simply based on its colour scheme alone (why does it have to be pink for god’s sakes?) but if I’m being honest with myself, I love pink, and I begin lots of emails with the salutation “Ladies” so clearly I’m the target audience no matter how loathe I am to admit it. Ladies Get Paid by Claire Wasserman is for working women eager to get ahead in their career and willing to put in the effort to accomplish their goals. In a nutshell, this book is about pushing past your comfort zone which is something I struggle with. I love routines and predictability is my jam but the advice in this book got me all fired up so I’m excited to shared it with you.

Book Summary

Claire Wasserman founded a global community called Ladies Get Paid which advocates for the professional advancement of women. She advises corporations on how to champion diversity and equity in their offices, and she’s a top-notch networker. In this, her first book she includes various case studies of particular women and their experiences of transitioning careers, experiencing various forms of harassment, gunning for a promotion, and negotiating pay raises. She includes easy-to-follow advice with clear reasoning behind it on how to deal with these common roadblocks in the workplace. She weaves in a few examples of her own life, including how and why she started Ladies Get Paid, as well as an inspiring story about a famous young female U.S. politician that has a fiery disposition we all know and love. You’ll have to read the book yourself to experience that little gem for yourself!

My Thoughts

I appreciate how inclusive Wasserman attempts to make this book. She’s quick to point out that women of colour are routinely discriminated against in the working world, as are working mothers. She deals specifically with these issues in two separate case studies, where the women faced hurdles that would only apply to someone with a child, and someone who is not white. This may seem unnecessary to some, but by placing these problems on a continuum, it made me realize how important it is for me, a white woman, to speak out against any form of discrimination in the workplace, because it helps pave the path for women who come after me. Luckily, I work in an industry that is female-dominated and typically quite flexible when it comes to work-life balance, but not every woman has that luxury, especially in male-dominated environments like law and automotive. And before you point out that things are better than they used to be (which I agree with and acknowledge), there is still a ways to go in many work environments. My female peers, my age or younger have told me stories that made me want to burst into a fiery rage with the injustice, but Wasserman points out that fighting for everyone’s rights in the workplace is our best way to overcome these disparities.

To be completely honest, reading this book sort of felt like work in itself, but that’s because I was truly learning things from it that I knew I needed to apply to my own life, so in a way, it was a form of ‘homework’ for me. It’s easy to read books about things that I already do, but reading straight talk about why I need to champion my own skills while negotiating a raise is uncomfortable to me, which is exactly why I needed to read this book. Hell, it’s why I expressed interest in it when I saw it in the publishers catalogue, because I knew it would educate me on a subject I badly needed to throw myself into. If I was really on the ball I’d be able to compare this to the book Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg, because I imagine it deals with very similar topics, but I haven’t read that one – if anyone else has, please let me know in the comments what you thought about it.

The best part about this book is its optimism; it doesn’t dwell on the fact that things are harder for women, it quickly establishes it as a fact using clear data and statistics, and then gives us a roadmap to change it. Many people have referred to the pandemic as the ‘she-cession’ because there is overwhelming evidence pointing to the fact that women have had to shoulder the burden of increased childcare while daycares and schools shut down. With that in mind, this book is more important than ever because as the world rights itself again, more women will find themselves with even bigger challenges ahead of them, and it’s support that’s offered in this book that we will need to move forward.

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[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was...underwhelming. I followed Ladies Get Paid shortly after Claire first started it up, joining the Slack community and following along to Claire's podcast, but stopped participating when I found the advice a little glossed over and impractical back then (1-2 years into my career).

Realistically, this book would have been a better read for me at that point in my career, when I was just learning the basics of working with a manager and navigating a career path. For 2023 me, however, this book just feels like a reiteration of every other post/podcast/webinar about career development. I've read/learned about 98% of the concepts covered in this book, so I found myself speeding up the audiobook and cruising through to see if there was anything new or useful to me, and there was surprisingly little.

But beyond the book's simplicity, I found that it fell culprit to the original reason I stopped following the Ladies Get Paid community: it had a tendency to gloss over the systemic issues affecting women's (especially women of color) careers. For example, Claire mentions how women are more often perceived negatively when participating in office politics compared to men. Her tip is to...participate in office politics, but carefully? Hmph. That seems like a half-answer that doesn't really get to the root of the problem: why are office politics regarded so highly? How can you make your own style of management shine through?

It ultimately felt like a true product of the girl boss era: a bit sugar-coated. It's not particularly helpful for women who are interested in sustainable career trajectories or who want to make real changes for future generations of women in work—not just learn some quick tips to deal with today's reality.

[Tangled in Text · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Female Fortune 500 CEO's has never risen above 6.4%. In fact, in 2018 there were more Fortune 500 CEO's named John than there were women on the list. Beyond that there are entire industries with barely any women in them"

With a cover so simple and bold I was drawn to this book. It was more than I bargained for. It discussed how to network, how to write a resume, negotiate, what to ask for, how to protect yourself for those becoming mother's and how to defend and make sure you aren't replaced. It's ridiculous the amount of obstacles and learning blocks, but they were all helpful.

One thing I appreciated was the discussion about how important honesty is in how much women make in the workforce. I will tell anyone that asks how much I make because I only make that because another woman told me her salary. I was enraged at how different the gap was then after doing research realizing that I was still getting paid the equivalent of an interns salary after five years at this company! And I was happy about it! I had the exact same experience and education as my friend so that inspired me to confront my boss and I negotiated a 20% raise after showing him my research and telling him why I thought I deserved more.

KNOW WHAT YOU ARE WORTH! And fight for it not just for you but for all the woman around you and that come after you!

[Dannielle Romoleroux · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ladies Get Paid has been an amazing community that helped me landed a role at my current company so when I hear Claire was coming out with a book, I knew I had to get a copy. The book lays out real examples from women in the community to get the points across and that's really important when talking about career related topics. It's not enough to just say, here's what you need to do and this book goes beyond the basic career advice. It offers templates and action items that can be taken if you're serious about your career. Which if you're here, you probably are.

Weirdly enough as I was reading the book, I received LinkedIn messages and invitations to apply for more senior level roles from recruiters. Maybe it was a mindset shift I was having when reading about getting rid of my imposter syndrome and taking control of my career destiny. Or maybe it was the constant reminder that WE ARE WORTH IT and DESERVE MORE.

After reading Ladies Get Paid, I feel invigorated to reset my career and take control of where it's heading instead of letting company direction determine my place. Each chapter lays out a mini manual for how you can tackle things in your own life.

[Letitia · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I do think this is mostly information that has entered the general knowledge base (can't quite manage to be shocked when I learn that women who have children see their salaries go down, and men who have children see their salaries skyrocket), however I have to remember that some women, especially young ones, still need to have this all spelled out. And it is spelled out in a really well-organized and accessible format, replete with real-world examples that are very compelling.

I also love the practical questions in it and suggest having a sit down with this book in which you closely analyze your deal breakers, your energy-stealers, your energizers, and figure out what it is about your job that you're loving or hating. I also love the idea of figuring out what my "fuck you money" slary would be.

So the overall take is yes, this is info that's pretty well established by now and won't be mind-blowing, but it has some practical take-aways and is in general a good reminder about what women in the workforce stand to gain if we share this information with each other. So keep announcing those salaries, ladies. This is how we get it.